An Australian tourist purchased sportswear at a Wanda Plaza in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, and processed an on-site tax refund. This followed the first-ever tax refund processed on May 10 in Yiwu, a county-level city in Jinhua.

The transaction was facilitated by proactive staff at the shopping mall, who informed the traveler about the policy and efficiently completed the procedures.

China's departure tax refund policy, which allows international visitors to reclaim value-added taxes on purchases made at designated stores, has been in operation nationwide since 2015.

Last month, six government branches jointly announced an upgrade to the policy, promoting "immediate refund upon purchase" services across the country to enhance shopping convenience for overseas tourists.

Jinhua is scaling up infrastructure to support this initiative. Data shows the city now hosts 37 departure tax refund stores, with Yiwu leading the count, followed by Wucheng and Jindong districts. These outlets primarily sell apparel, daily necessities, and locally distinctive cultural products.

To optimize the policy's effect, the Jinhua Municipal Tax Service of the State Taxation Administration emphasized leveraging big data to identify qualified merchants with high credibility, brand influence, and tourist traffic for targeted training.

Additional services, such as multilingual guides and streamlined refund procedures, are expected to further boost international spending.